I’ve thoroughly enjoyed all of your Deckard works – the Promis novellas have been great for short-haul business flights – and went on your website last night to see if you had released the Lebanon one yet. I noticed the discussion about Eric Haney and Inside Delta Force and thought I might weigh in.

In 2007 I had the opportunity to bring Eric Haney to speak at my undergraduate campus. I was incredibly excited to bring him to campus as The Unit was one of my favorite shows, I had thoroughly enjoyed his book (although elements of it were quite disturbing) and I have always had an interest in special operations. I had the opportunity to spend several hours one-on-one with him both before and after his speaking event. If I had to describe him in one word, it would be smug. At the time I wrote to a friend saying that the Command Sergeant Major “has an ax to grind with conservatives and the US government” and “he is unapologetically left wing, believes the Iraq War absolutely heinous, and that Islam is not the problem.” Based on my, albeit limited, experiences with him, I think he is despised/discredited within the special operations community because he is viewed as a sell-out – not for trying to profit from his service through book sales, but for embracing whatever values necessary in order to be accepted at Hollywood cocktail parties.

Thanks for your service and keep up the great work with your blog and the Deckard novels. I’m looking forward to your next one!

10 responses to “Eric Haney Redux”

My opinion? I’ve seen people like ‘Jack’. He confuses “smug” with ‘don’t give a damn’. There is a big difference. As someone who perhaps has no confidence in himself he perchance doesn’t recognize it in another.

I particularly liked the line about “being accepted at Hollywood cocktail parties”. Actually, it made me laugh out loud. Inside joke, I’ll ask your forgiveness.

Lowell, I’m willing to hear you out (see my reply to your last post) but please give it another read before you say something unfortunate. First, my name need not appear in quotations. Second, what you read above is a letter I received from a reader, hence why it is addressed to me by name. I did not write this but posted it as a reply to my initial blog post since it was from someone who actually interacted with your brother. My opinion regarding your brother’s situation remains unchanged. The negative things I’ve heard about him are simply third party innuendo.

Well, first off I screwed up. I said “Jack”, when I meant “John”. Sorry for that.

As far as saying something unfortunate, I can only offer my personal observations, which are mine alone.

I’m damn sure not some type of PR agency for Eric, as I would demand payment for that. Not counting our politics are quite different and we don’t agree on a whole shitload of issues.

Some people have had the mistaken view that I am a clone of my older brother. Not at all.

I do think I have some insights as I was raised in the same home, and since about 1991 I have spent some considerable time with him.

In the interest of full disclosure, I love my brother. But I have no agenda to illustrate him as saint nor demon. I’m afraid you’ll have to take my word on that as in this medium bonafides are nebulous at best.

In no way did I intend to denigrate you brother. I absolutely loved the book. The escape scenes from Desert One were gut wrenching, especially since I just finished Crippled Eagle through that section.

I was intending irony and admittedly missed the point that somebody was poking at him without knowing him. That is my failure and I am completely responsible for my comment.

Please extend my humble apologies to your brother. I do hope you both can have an excellent conversation with Jack…he always gives a fair shake.

You worry too much. Don’t do that, it will age you before your time. I am sure no apology is necessary as I’m sure Eric never saw the comment.
He ‘gets out on the internet’ about as often as I do which is seldom barring about exactly two sites.

CSM Haney didn’t see John’s comment but Mrs. Haney did:) Lowell is correct in that the CSM doesn’t seek out or read commentary on himself. That’s true even when a ruffled spouse occasionally mentions such things. He takes his measure internally, not externally. That’s a quiet kind of self-confidence and discipline that I admire and frankly, lack. Since John mentions the year 2007 for this speaking event — and Eric was still working on the show in California at that time — I’m concluding this undergraduate speaking event was in California. His trips home to Georgia where I was restoring our home were fairly limited in both number and time but I suppose he could have slipped in something here. I just don’t recall. Ironically, 2007 was also the year of the great Writer’s Strike that slowed creation of new episodes ultimately to a halt. Eric left The Unit — his true creation — in a creative capacity in 2008 specifically because he declined to have the operator wives become ‘operators de facto’ and have some operator wives become, er, undercover stripper agents. He felt that was inappropriate and false representation for Delta Force as well as for its audience. Thus, for such ‘creative differences,’ Eric left the show as an Executive Producer (not to mention that salary) and returned home to Georgia. The credits change from ExecProducer to TechAdvisor after that season on IMDB. Eric wasn’t writing; the show got wiggy (The Spear of Destiny???), lost ratings, and went off the air. I believe this bears out what John said in a back hand way: Eric charted the course of the show. When he no longer could, he walked away. No one above the line believed he would actually do it. Walk away from all that money? Sometimes I could strangle him for it. Most of the time, I’m proud. I think this is why you hear — on the other thread — that ‘hollywood said he was hard to work with.’ Nope. Only the co-execs he walked away from who had to replace him with three people. Men who haven’t had hit shows since. There are wars, friends, and there are wars.

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Reflexive Fire

This is the official website for my military action-adventure novel, "Reflexive Fire" and the "PROMIS" series. Here you will be able to sample large portions of my books and read more about them. Also discussed are various military and para-military topics such as Private Military Companies, mercenaries, Special Operations units, historical events, book reviews, and much more. Please feel free to respond with any questions or comments you may have.